Wake Forest earns 2025 National Main Street Accreditation
Wake Forest is one of 45 North Carolina Main Street Communities and one of 821 nationwide designated as a 2025 Accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of accredited programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.
Main Street America recognizes two tiers of national designation — Affiliate and Accredited. These designations are a powerful advocacy tool, signaling to local stakeholders, as well as city, state, and national funders, that a Main Street program has an established position within a nationwide movement with a 45-year proven track record of generating impressive economic returns, building local capacity, creating welcoming and inviting communities, and creating lasting impact.
“Main Street America is proud to recognize this year’s 821 Accredited Main Street America programs for their commitment to building strong and vibrant communities,” said Erin Barnes, President and CEO of Main Street America. “Their tireless efforts show what’s possible when engaged leaders work together to shape places that reflect the people they serve. The continued impact of our network shows that the Main Street movement remains a powerful force for positive transformation.”
Wake Forest’s performance is evaluated through assessments conducted by the organization’s personnel and board of directors, and by the NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify local programs that meet rigorous national community evaluation standards. These standards provide the Main Street America network with a strong foundational framework to review progress, recognize strengths, understand trends, and identify strategies that move Main Street programs forward. To quality for designation communities must demonstrate a strong commitment to the Main Street model, meet a set of baseline requirements, and achieve outcomes in six areas: broad-based community commitment to revitalization; inclusive leadership and organizational capacity; diversified funding and sustainable program operations; strategy-driven programming; preservation-based economic development; and demonstrated impact and results.
These standards provide the Main Street America network with a strong foundational framework to review progress, recognize strengths, understand trends, and identify strategies that move Main Street programs forward. To quality for Accredited status - Main Street America’s top designation tier - communities must demonstrate a proved track record of achieving outcomes in alignment with the Main Street Approach and exceptional performance in six areas: broad-based community commitment to revitalization; inclusive leadership and organizational capacity; diversified funding and sustainable program operations; strategy-driven programming; preservation-based economic development; and demonstrated impact and results.
In 2024, Main Street America programs generated $7.65 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,324 new businesses, facilitated the creation of 33,835 new jobs, rehabilitated 10,126 historic buildings, and logged 1.9 million volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, $21.73 was reinvested into their downtown and commercial corridor communities.
“Receiving Main Street Accreditation is a true testament to the collaboration and commitment that define Wake Forest,” said Downtown Development Director Jennifer Herbert. “We’re incredibly proud of our dedicated partners at Wake Forest Downtown, Inc. and the invaluable support and resources the Town of Wake Forest provides. But most of all, it’s our downtown businesses that deserve the spotlight, as they are the reason our quaint, yet cool downtown continues to flourish as the heart of our community.”
For more information, contact Downtown Development Director Jennifer Herbert at 919-435-9427 or jherbert@wakeforestnc.gov.